I?m curious how you guys do it.
I map out all the things I want to teach and then prioritize them based on importance.
But does anyone have one in writing? My is mostly bullet points but I feel the actual process of doing a season plan is important.
Tom and Dean you guys are the pros, how you do develop a season plan?
I?m hoping to learn some best practices from everyone

Here is how I plan my season. I don't write it down but follow these steps.

1-Identify what kind of team I can have according to the players who are trying out or assigned to me. It seems to change all of the time whether I can pick the team, am given a team or get to pick some and the rest are assigned.

2-Decide on the type of team play that suits the players I have.

There are two basic kinds of thinkers; inductive and deductive. I am a deductive thinker and like to start with the big ideas first and then fill in the details. So I introduce our systems like forecheck, dzone, power play, penalty kill the first few weeks of practice and then fill in the details later.

One speaker at a seminar compared the two types of preparation to filling a truck with sand and gravel. If you put all of the sand in first, then the gravel and then the big rocks you it isn't as efficient as putting in the big rocks first, then the gravel will sift through them and the sand will sift through the big rocks and the gravel and your load will be bigger.

I then like to have a good data base of games, drills, and transition games that I can use to practice the details such as individual skills. I classify them into our ABCDEFG coding system for easy reference.

Once I have the team chosen and the players know each other I meet with them to explain a Team Covenant and then leave them to develop their own covenant that they all sign and get laminated. It is the template for decisions during the season.

Planning practice I rotate through Role one - individual offensive skills, Role two - team offensive skills, Role three - individual defensive skills, Role four - team defensive skills.

The league games are the test and tell me what we need to focus on but I always rotate through the 4 game playing roles. Since about 30% of the time the puck is loose in hockey I build that into practicing each role.

I have plan jotted down on the back of a business card for practice but will go to plan B if something isn't working or I suddenly find out only one goalie is there or there are players missing.

I forgot to mention it but off I like to have at least one session of off ice training per week. I like to have 3 sping classes on exercise bikes and one session on a court or in a gym to review individual and team play in a place where it is easy to hear instructions and we can do games like soccer football, handball, floor hockey etc. I like the 45-75 minute bike sessions because the intervals work on both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. I seldom do conditioning skates and the bike keeps the conditioning up.

I know this isn't the way I was taught to make a yearly plan in my education classes but it is what I do and it works pretty well for me.

Thanks for bringing this topic thread back for Aberdeen. Lots of good stuff in here!

Similar to what Tom has stated, your plan will change every year based on your personnel. You need to start by assessing their strengths (use these to their maximum when deciding on a 'style' of play) and weaknesses (camoflauge these when deciding on a 'style' of play), estimate where you hope to realistically be by season's end, then work (plan) backwards. (Pro golfers visualize the ball going into the hole; then the approach shot; then the tee shot - backwards!) Determine how many practices / off-ice sessions will you have as this will give you an idea of how much actual time you will have with the team... so use your time accordingly! Create microcycle time periods that work for you - hopefully you can achieve what you want within these as smaller parts of the whole.

Remember to keep the four principles of play (on both O and D) in mind:

O Principles

Puck Control
Support
Pressure
Transition

D Principles

Stall / Contain
Support
Pressure
Transition

Training should reflect game-like situations and a smart coach will learn from Igor's findings... practice the situations in accordance with how often they occur in a game. 'Game-like' means: Include pressure, keeping score and accountability. For instance, why do lots of 1 v 0 shooting if breakaways and shootouts rarely happen in an actual game? This is a mis-use of ice time.

I have referenced Igor's stats and posted them before, but here there are again:

"Proportionality of particular typical game situations within training sessions should be derived from the frequency of occurrence of these game situations in championship matches. For the junior category we basically recommend 1 on 1 game like situation (45 percent), 2 on 1 game situation (35 percent), 2 on 2 and 1 on 2 games like situations (10 percent).

• While improving offensive game activities in typical 2 on 2 games like situation, all drills and preparation games should be applied under conditions similar to matches."[/b]

Keep in mind he was dealing with the junior (16-20) age category (specifically in this study, it was U18 but in his 1 v 1 study, it was U20 I believe.) If you were truly anal, you would do your own study for your own age category - but who has the time? - so I would hazard a guess that his findings would be fairly applicable across many age levels.

When you practice lots of 1 v 1's (obviously covering off two playing roles), the athletes MUST perform many individual skills and tactics during their competitions... so lots of great training here!

When you progress to a 2 v 1 (now covering three playing roles), this provides the addition of team tactics on O.

When you progress to a 2 v 2 (now covering all four playing roles), this provides the addition of team tactics for both O and D.

If you progress to a 3 v 3 situation (I would suggest this is a great way to spend some more of the remaining 10% total time!) this allows you to work more on systems and strategy.

I know for many coaches that playing so many 1 v 1's in practice (and 2 v 1's and 2 v 2 / 1 v 2's - up to 90% of your time!) will 'challenge your personal comfort zone' but I started doing this several years ago and have seen the results for myself! John the Colombian has been doing this for even longer with his teams and academies - he never talks about or focuses on the outcome of 'winning' - yet by training this way, he consistently does win!

You need to commit or not commit - this is not a halfway thing as you will not see the full benefits with a halfway commitment. It is a leap of faith and it might not be for you...Each coach will determine their own (comfortable) guidelines concerning Igor's suggested numbers, but at the end of the day, 1 v 1's are the key building blocks (pure skills) for all other situations! Playing up to and including 2 v 2 allows all four game roles to be played.

A strong understanding of the four 'principles of play' for both O and D; and the execution of these under game-like conditions will make your team that much better in ALL situations; including PP and PK! If more of your players are skilled at 1 v 1's (O and D) - moreso than your opponents - than the odds are your team will be more successful than the others!

Great info guys thanks!
Tom that was what I was looking for. I like the rock and sand comp.
That makes sense to me

Kia thank you, that is a long thread so will take time. That is a thread you guys would add to throughout the year right?
Dean get info too. That study is hard core! A little hard for me to understand but the principles make sense.
Do you guys spend that much time with 1-1 , 2-2, 3-3?

I'm looking to take best practices and then help local coaches. I do monthly meeting and think season planning would be a good topic for summer time since its before season

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Aberdeen I spend most of the practice time with situations from 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 2-1, 2-2, 1-2.
Tom

It's a little outdated now, but Fred Shero's book had a nice macro look at season planning. I've sort built off of that for my needs with the college team I coached. I have the following in my coaching portfolio.

Pre-season
Practices during the preseason will be rigorous and set the tone for the season at hand. As with practices during the season, the tempo for drills will be high for a maximum amount of conditioning and skill development. We practice as we play.
For the most part the practice schedule, down to the drills, for the preseason practices are set before camp even begins. If we have 10 practices before our first game, I'll have all 10 practice plans drawn up. There is some flexibility based on what we see at practice, but by planning the full practices out it ensures that every skill is covered in a logical progression. That also is why I liked to have the week's practice/drill schedule done in advance.

Early Season
During the early season, the system continues to be installed and individual skill development is stressed during this time. The objectives early in the season exist to continue to set the tone for the remainder of the year. A good start is essential. For the most part, the individual objectives are to develop team unity, pinpoint the strength and weaknesses of the team, and work on the system down to the most basic aspects (line changes, 6-of-5, etc.). With a college team the balance I feel should be about 60-40 team systems vs. individual skills. The younger you go, and competitive level, that balance obviously shifts towards more player development from team development.

Mid-season
This often seems to be the longest stretch of the season. The newness has worn off and the payoff of the playoffs are still months away. This is the most challenging time for the coaching staff, so things should be done to try and eliminate the boredom. The objectives during this time are to juggle the talent to maximize performance, focus on the team and individual weaknesses, and continue to develop the team. More 70-30 team vs. individual.

Late season
At long last the goal is in sight, so now everything must be geared to the playoffs and entering the postseason with momentum. Therefore the primary objective is to get ready mentally and physically for the playoffs. When practices are held the goal is to reinforce the system and check on individual players to insure they are reaching maximum potential. By this point, I prefer it to be about 75-25 or even 80-20 simply because the structured part of practices aren't as long. Instead of the full hour, I'll cut it down to 45 minutes with 15 minutes for 1-on-1 instruction with a few players at one end of the ice with optional SAGs at the other.
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Kevin I agree that you spend a lot more time on system play as the season progresses. In college I liked to spend the first half hour of each practice on individual or partner offensive skills and then rotate the days to focus on the 4 Game Playing Roles. Monday - individual offensive skills and 30 minutes with a skating coach followed by dryland after which rotated between spin and plyo's, Tuesday we did individual deffensive technique, Wednesday was the Team Offense, Thursday the focus was Team defense and Battling our games were Friday-Saturday with Sunday off. The drills, games and transition games followed these themes.

I played hockey tonight and then we went to our regular spot for a few pops after.

One of the guys who played and is a former university player asked me if we sold very many of the ABC coaching manuals. I told him we did at the start but then Johnny Misley took over from Tom Renney at Hockey Canada and didn't put the book in their catalogue anymore and never in their online one. He told me they considered it a competitor to their Nike Skills Program and wouldn't support it.

I asked him why they couldn't consider it a complimentary program that was written by a IIHF Hall of Fame International coach and a Canadian. He didn't respond. The philosophy is the same as the Finnish development program which is looked at as the best development program anywhere.

Anyway that is the way it is.

Back to the story.

Jim told him that when started coaching Terry Johnson suggested the ABC book and he got it and says it became his "Hockey Bible" because it was so easy to understand and follow. His boy's are now adults and they and their friends are using the manual to plan their practices.

So it was a nice story to hear.

They don't know about this site which is here to continually update the material in the manual. I gave him a card with a link to this site and am interested in hearing their comments.

So I have a suggestion when you are starting your season plan for next year.

First you have to decided 'Do I want to teach How to Do Drills or Do I want to teach HOCKEY.

So I have a suggestion when you are starting your season plan for next year.

First you have to decided 'Do I want to teach How to Do Drills or Do I want to teach HOCKEY.

Tom,

I remember when you told me about this story years ago, I shook my head. I can understand Hockey Canada seeing your book as competition to their old Nike Skills Manuals as they put a lot of time and money into them; as well, sponsorship monies and contracts probably precluded HC from endorsing something similar. Even so, your book is so far superior the the Skills Manual's that they can't even be considered 'competition'. HC's manuals are DRILL MANUALS. Your book goes far deeper and brings forth the philosophy of the game and how to best make this philosophy take shape on the ice - so it is theoretical (helping explain the game in easy terms) and highly practical!

HC's manuals are simply a collection of drills stapled together - somewhat disjointedly with little or no regard for progressing within the practice or from one practice to another. When I look at them with a critical eye, it looks like they assembled a writer's group and asked for their favourite drills - later trying to group them by age appropriateness - then ramming them together into a 'Novice' or "Atom', etc. Manual. Great idea but the final product is lacking; especially when compared to your book! (I did a similar thing to HC back in the 1990's - I identified several team tactical aspects of the game and then 'filled in' the categories with several drills for each category. I remember being pretty pleased with myself - I had made a 'better' manual specific to my needs! I got input from several of my peers but in all honesty, 85% of the drills were very similar to mine... in retrospect, making me think that hockey coaches aren't very creative and demonstrating the existing culture of hockey coaching really throws a blanket over drills!)

By this I mean that it seems there are a 'core' of similar drills that prevail across the country... continent! (Can't comment on the 'world' as I haven't seen enough international practices - has anybody?) I have watched almost every NHL team practice since moving back to Calgary in 2001 and the only thing that changes are the colours of practice jersey (and personnel) on the ice. Same thing can be said in junior and minor hockey based on my evaluations performed for HC and HA (and done on my own time for my own interest). Not a lot of creativity out there. We coaches seem to have a "DRILL OBSESSION" and line up like sheep for the next 'latest and greatest' drill manual. Sadly, the Holy Grail is not to be found there. But it is more likely to be inspired by reading your book...!

Hockey should be coached in a complete fashion; not by stringing a bunch of unrealistic (non-competitive / non-accountable) drills together to FILL TIME!

It isn't about filling time with drills; it is about providing your players an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the game by providing practice situations that challenge their skill set and decision-making processes - under game like conditions (scoreboard / accountability) - allowing them to fail or succeed and to learn implicitly from these - and 'guiding' them; not telling them, what to do! ("Shut Up Coaches! Let the kids figure it out on their own!")

So it also involves one's coaching philosophy (the critical starting point - 99.9% overlooked and / or misunderstood) and constantly improving ones own knowledge on their level of understanding of the game (relating practices to games to practices and how it relates to the age, skill level and LTAD stage of their athletes) ... constantly reflecting on how to be a better coach.

To quote the most interesting man in the world (on TV and radio ads, anyways!), "I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis. Stay Thirsty (and open minded for knowledge), my friends."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U18VkI0uDxE
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Dean, thanks for the comments. Problem solving is the most difficult thing to teach. Even my wife who is in charge of the nurses in a renal units says 'they get trained in how and what to do but few new nurses are very good at problem solving.' I am sure it is a problem in most industries and ovccupations. How do we instruct not only the What and How but also the Why and When.
Juhani is currently working with both the Finnish Education Ministry and FIHA to help them become better at teaching problem solving.

I have probably seen practices from many nations as much as anyone. The Red Bulls mandate was to have coaches from all the hockey nations; so I watched practices from high level coaches including; 1 Russian, 2 Swedes, 1 Czech, 1 Slovak, 1 American, 1 Finn, 1 Canadian, 2 Austrians there along with my travels to places like Norway, Korea, Germany etc.

While attending my daughters graduation last week I talked with wom people at Athabasca University about doing a Masters with the topic of comparing the hockey coaching methods with the culture of the various hockey coaching nations. (i.e. when the Australian National Women's Team played my college team they all had a cold tub treatment after the game for recovery before joining us in a receptions we did for them) Another example was the Koreans felt obligated to pass to the oldest player on the ice.
Anyway that is a thought for another thread.
Tom

Also, do you think this should become it's own topic? "Problem Solving for Coaches?"

I remember working at Sport Chek while attending school and playing hockey. I was about 7 or 18, standing around in the hockey department - hanging out as there were no customers and I had completed everything the 'Full-Timer' had left for me to do on my shift. I was bored silly; waiting for customers.

The Assistant Store Manager walked by and asked me what I was doing.

"Nothing" was my reply.

He spend five minutes with me - not being a jerk, but actually kind of mentoring me in a firm way - and told me / showed me what to do when it was slow. Facing shelves, updating the inventory of the heat-press stock (numbers / letters), looking at the displays like a customer - what attracted my eye first / last - and how to move stuff around so there were always 'new' things to catch the eye (at eye level) when entering the department from both sides... lots of stuff I would have never thought of on my own!

Until then, I had been 'trained' in life as someone to wait for orders, then complete them (by my parents, school, coaches - pretty much all of society!) I hadn't been trained to think for myself. (Same as what happens in typical hockey drills. Stand around, wait for your turn, then mentally and physically engage for 12 seconds of a rep, then after the shot or after the whistle, turn off physical and mental processes as you return to the end of the line.) Everybody laid things out for me or told me how to do it - rarely saying anything when I did it right but certainly told me when I did it something wrong! But nothing like this had ever happened before.

He taught me the importance of taking initiative and adding value through the use of my time. In a round about way (many years after introspection!), he was teaching me to think about potentially occurring problems or issues and solve them before they happen! I remember thinking at the time, "Wow, I didn't get in trouble... I learned how to be a better person and employee by taking responsibility for using my time constructively - not just waiting (and wasting time!)" It was a teachable moment and it made a tremendous impact on me. Just goes to show you the power anybody has - to inspire or destroy! We should keep this in mind and use it to inspire!

It felt like an 'awakening' in my life. I was encouraged to think and problem solve for myself without having to wait for someone to tell me to do something. It might sound kind of crazy to some, but based on my upbringing, it was a revelation. I started looking at lots of things in my life very differently after that; thanks to Steve the Manager for that!

Now... I wonder if we coaches can learn from this introspection and try to inspire initiative / way of looking at things for individuals during their coaching - or while working in nursing, etc. I have always felt that this should be part of the topic, "The Art of Coaching" that is delivered at coaching clinics.

At one of the first Hockey Canada coaching clinics I worked at (late 1980's / early 1990's), my old college coach, George Kingston gave his presentation on "Making an Old Drill New". Using two overheads, everybody had the opportunity to sketch their favourite drill; then come up to present them. George would use a different colour pen and make some changes to each; demonstrating to everyone 'how' to think outside the box. Not only did he give coaches additional (practical) drills to walk away with (which all coaches love!), he helped people see how 'easy' it was to make changes to 'old' drills - to relate to an old cliche, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." He was teaching us to fish!

No I am not in the IIHF Hall of Fame but my co-author Juhani Wahlsten is. He was captain of Finland for many years, played in 3 Olympics and worked in developing coaching programs since he retired as a player. He was inducted with Kent Nilsson and the Russian Petrov five or six years ago. Smartes hockey man I have ever met.

Juhani 'Juuso' is a hockey legend in Finland. I am just a 'legend in my own mind.'